Sunday, November 20, 2016

The Reason Review 1-5

The Reason Review - Volume 1 Issue 5

2016/NOV/20


Editorial Message


Dear Readers,


Welcome to The Reason Review 1-5.



I hope everyone is coping well with the aftermath after one of the most contentious American presidential elections in living memory. The stakes being as high as they were, we will need to find a way forward from this great setback, to protect the civil rights of both disbelievers and people of all beliefs, and to buttress the wall of separation between religion and state. Our first post-election secular forum focused on this issue, and it will surely appear on the agenda again, as the challenges will.

Consequently, a great majority of our content this cycle has to do with the implications of the elections on secularism and science in America. The Media section, in particular, includes a number of great podcasts by atheists discussing precisely this.


A silver lining is the success of a growing number of liberal disbelievers in local elections, including many from gender and/or ethnic political minorities. We have mentioned a couple of the latter, and for those interested in learning about more, The Friendly Atheist has covered them extensively. Hopefully, this will put a little wind in our sagging sails, and encourage more of the activism that can still make a difference.
Hope you enjoy the issue.

Sincerely,


Sohan Dsouza
Editor of The Reason Review


Contact editor: dsouza@mit.edu
Contact SSOMIT: ssomit-officers@mit.edu

Sign up for SSOMIT Announcements (includes The Reason Review): http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/ssomit-announce
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News


Openly Atheist Politician Juan Mendez Has Won His Race for Arizona State Senate


Secular politicians Salman and Mendez
Picture credit: https://www.facebook.com/mendezforaz/

Mendez has long been on our radar, having served as a legislator in the Arizona State House since getting elected in 2012. He memorably delivered a godless invocation on the House floor and gave up his seat for this chance to run for the State Senate.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/11/08/openly-atheist-politician-juan-mendez-has-won-his-race-for-arizona-state-senate/


Ben Carson will not take position in Trump administration

Carson business manager Armstrong Williams tells The Associated Press that Carson has opted out of being considered for any cabinet or other administration positions, including leading the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of education.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/ben-carson-will-not-take-position-trump-administration/


County officials again deny ‘Freedom from Religion’ banner 

Whitsett asked for equal access to courthouse display, placement where the banner would be easily visible; equal time with the traditional Nativity scene; and the banner being set up and taken down by county employees as the Nativity scene is. He claimed equal protection by the Constitution; and noted many dissenters, saying that requires more freedom of speech, not less. “Freedom of speech means nothing if it’s not applied to everyone,” Whitsett said.
http://www.hccommunityjournal.com/article_b02f1f4c-abb2-11e6-8997-db1b8dff999c.html


Ten Commandments monument restored

The 3,000-pound monument was knocked down in August, setting off a new round of discussions as to whether or not the religious symbol violates the constitutional provision of separation of church and state.
http://www.fosters.com/news/20161110/ten-commandments-monument-restored


Pasco considers religious freedom resolution for Arlene's Flowers case

The resolution notes that religious rights may come into conflict with other asserted rights at times and need to be balanced, and that "such conflict exists in the case of the state of Washington vs. Arlene's Flowers.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/crime_and_courts/pasco-considers-religious-freedom-resolution-for-arlene-s-flowers-case/article_34fdcbfe-ac28-11e6-824b-efae37e04cff.html


Germany Bans ‘True Religion’ Muslim Group and Raids Mosques

The True Religion is the sixth Islamist organization to be banned in Germany since 2012, under an effort to ensure domestic security and to prevent radicalized young people from leaving the country to fight for extremists abroad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/world/europe/germany-bans-true-religion-islamist-group-and-raids-mosques.html


Jerusalem chief rabbi calls homosexuality an ‘abomination’

He also came out against rabbis trying to build bridges with the LGBTQ community: “There is no such thing, to show understanding or tolerance for this. A simple truth needs to be stated – there is a severe prohibition, and there is no allowance for it.” The rabbi emphasized he would not budge on his position, even at the price of estranging secular Jews from religious life.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-chief-rabbi-calls-homosexuality-an-abomination/


Bangladesh considering dropping Islam as state religion, according to senior minister

“I have said it abroad and now I am saying it again that Islam will be dropped from Bangladesh’s constitution when the time comes. The force of secularism is within the people of Bangladesh. There is no such thing as a ‘minority’ in our country.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/bangladesh-islam-state-religion-government-considers-dropping-a7418366.html

Reports



Attorney Mark Naugle Has Helped 2,500 Mormons Leave the LDS Church, All Free of Charge

Two weeks ago, the LDS church introduced new policies that label same-sex couples as apostates and prohibit their children from being baptized into the faith until they are 18. Since the changes were announced, Naugle has flooded with requests.

https://redditblog.com/2015/11/17/attorney-mark-naugle-has-helped-2500-mormons-leave-the-lds-church-all-free-of-charge/

How Evangelicals Helped Donald Trump Win

These advisors say that Trump’s commitment to evangelicals—and divine providence—put Trump across the finish line Tuesday night. It was a strategy Trump chose early.
http://time.com/4565010/donald-trump-evangelicals-win/


Religious Right Believes Donald Trump Will Deliver on His Promises

There were prominent evangelicals publicly opposed to Mr. Trump — a phenomenon that Mr. Reed argued only brought more attention to those who supported him. But now that Mr. Trump is headed for the White House, some of those “Never Trump” evangelicals are coming around.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/donald-trump-evangelical-christians-religious-conservatives.html


Dealt a body blow, atheists and humanists regroup

“Our eyes are now on the midterm elections,” said Sarah Levin, senior legislative representative for the Secular Coalition for America, a lobby that represents 19 atheist, humanist and freethought groups in Washington, D.C. “We are going to double-down. We really have to.”
http://religionnews.com/2016/11/09/dealt-a-body-blow-atheists-and-humanists-regroup/


Mike Pence Will Be The Most Powerful Christian Supremacist In U.S. History

Pence has been a reliable stalwart throughout his public life in the cause of Christian jihad — never wavering in his commitment to America-First militarism, the criminalizing of abortion, and utter hatred for gay people (unless they go into conversion therapy
https://theintercept.com/2016/11/15/mike-pence-will-be-the-most-powerful-christian-supremacist-in-us-history/


Freethinkers make way to social media

"There is not a week that goes by when we don't come across the harms of religion. Honour killing over caste, caste discrimination, people fasting to death, absurd rituals that lead to the death of children and so forth. We are most bothered by this unnecessary suffering."
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-freethinkers-make-way-to-social-media-2271974


How Games, Piracy, and Religion Come Together in Saudi Arabia

"Inevitably, the other big part of my life at that time was religion. Religion is ubiquitous in Saudi Arabian culture. We had three or four religion classes a day in school, each focusing a different aspect. Nothing is excluded. Religion even influenced the way we played video games."
http://www.vice.com/en_id/read/how-games-piracy-and-religion-come-together-in-saudi-arabia


Celebrating the first atheist MP Charles Bradlaugh

A Victorian politician, who founded the National Secular Society 150 years ago, was the first atheist MP and paved the way for the separation of religion and public life.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37976044


Opinion



Judd Birdsall -- Care about religious freedom worldwide? One of the candidates would be a disaster.

Second, for Clinton, religious freedom is more than a human right, it’s a social good. During her tenure as secretary of state, Clinton regularly reminded us that religious freedom is not just an American value and international norm, but part and parcel of “a climate of tolerance that helps make a country more stable, more secure, and more prosperous.” In other words, religious freedom is a strategic issue.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/11/07/care-about-religious-freedom-worldwide-one-of-the-candidates-would-be-a-disaster/


Sierra Norman -- I Did What I Had To Do

He called me “Satan” on Twitter and another commented that I would “fly back to the underworld.” Other various threats and comments were made on how much I was “hated”, should be “slapped in the face”, and just “leave” because it was my “fault” the community was breaking apart.
http://www.hercampus.com/school/bryn-mawr/i-did-what-i-had-do


Herb Silverman -- Post-Election Healing: An Atheist's Perspective

A secular US Constitution helped make America great. When religion mingled with politics is no longer business as usual, then we together can make America even greater
https://www.onfaith.co/commentary/post-election-healing-an-atheists-perspective


Hiba Krisht -- That meme comparing hijabis to nuns needs to die in a pit of fire

I’m concerned not only with what a certain sect says about hijab, but with an epidemic crushing the lives of millions upon millions of women and girls worldwide, where modesty is the sole and final arbiter of everything they have and do in their lives, a phenomenon that is largely denied, downplayed, and obscured.
http://www.theexmuslim.com/2016/11/17/hijabi-nuns-meme-needs-to-die/


Media


Polite Conversations -- Episode 18 - Election rant with Eli Bosnick

@NiceMangos, @EliBosnick from Scathing Atheist, God Awful Movies & SkepticRat in a chat about the US election, America wtf have you done?!
https://soundcloud.com/politeconversations/episode-18-election-rant-with-eli-bosnick

Polite Conversations -- Episode 17 - Sam Harris

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sam Harris! We had an excellent, robust discussion on a variety of topics. We didn’t necessarily agree on everything, but even in disagreement Sam is an absolute pleasure to speak with. I admire his integrity, intellectual honesty and willingness to engage in difficult conversations.
https://soundcloud.com/politeconversations/episode-17-sam-harris

Atheist Experience -- 20.45 with Matt Dillahunty and John Iacoletti

The Atheist Experience episode 20.45 for November 13, 2016, with Matt Dillahunty and John Iacoletti. How Trump will Impact SCOTUS. Matt and John discuss how the new president will impact the Supreme Court and its later rulings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l901oojgWfg

Godless Spellchecker -- Taking The Myth – 10 Nov 2016 Election Edition

This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) and Iram Ramzan (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss the big topics. We talk about newly elected President Trump, how we got there and what it means for the future. We also update you on the Louis Smith saga, discuss national pride and gender segregation and much, much more!
https://www.gspellchecker.com/2016/11/taking-the-myth-10-nov-2016-election-edition/

Point of Inquiry -- Trump’s Victory and the Challenge to a Secular America, with Larry Decker

Larry Decker, Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America, believes that much of America’s core secular values are in grave danger with a Trump presidency. He asserts that SCA and its contributing members are preparing to fight relentlessly to make secular American voices heard in order to defend the wall of separation between church and state.
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/trumps_victory_and_the_challenge_to_a_secular_america_with_larry_decker/

Atheistically Speaking -- AS292: President Trump, With Eli Bosnick And Andrew Torrez

It f*cking happened. President Trump. We elected President Trump. The first 12 minutes of this episode are my live reaction from Tuesday night when it happened. It may make you uncomfortable. 
http://atheisticallyspeaking.com/as292-president-trump-eli-bosnick-andrew-torrez/

Atheistically Speaking -- AS293: President Trump’s Second Term, With Eli Bosnick And Andrew Torrez

Here is part 2 of my truly excellent recording with Andrew and Eli. We commiserate, we give our answers to a lot of the common questions, we laughed, we feared and I feel slightly better knowing I’ll still have these two amazing people and more to get me through this. I hope everyone else is as lucky as I am!
http://atheisticallyspeaking.com/as293-president-trumps-second-term-eli-bosnick-andrew-torrez/

Friendly Atheist Podcast -- Ep. 135 - Sarah Levin, Secular Coalition for America's Senior Legislative Representative

Following Tuesday's elections, we spoke about what church/state separation advocates should be worried about over the next few years, the positive developments (and there were some!) from Election Day, and what atheists need to do to become more of a political force in the future.
https://soundcloud.com/friendly-atheist-podcast/ep-135-sarah-levin-secular-coalition-for-americas-senior-legislative-representative

ScathingAtheist 196: Full Pence-etration Edition

In this week’s episode, Donald trump announces a brand new skull-shaped White House, he also makes a few other decisions based on skull shape, and Reince Priebus finally gets to be on a list where he’s not the worst person.
https://audioboom.com/posts/5294798-scathingatheist-196-full-pence-etration-edition

ScathingAtheist 195: WTF Happened Edition

In this week’s episode, Lucinda invents a time machine made of rage and microwave parts, we hook up Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer to a monatomic gold respirator, and the 2020 presidential election begins.
https://audioboom.com/posts/5267745-scathingatheist-195-wtf-happened-edition

Dogma Debate / David Smalley -- #277 - Trump vs. Atheists: with Aron Ra & Rachel Nanon Brown

Liberal atheists react to a Trump victory, and Aron Ra & Rachel Nanon Brown discuss evolution vs. creation.
http://www.spreaker.com/user/smalleyandhyso/277-evolution-vs-creation-aron-ra-rachel

Dogma Debate -- #278 - Noah's Ark vs. David Smalley, Aron Ra, & Dan Arel

Eric Hovind took a group of atheists on a personally guided tour of Ken Ham's Ark Encounter. This is the full audio of what happened.
http://www.spreaker.com/user/smalleyandhyso/278-noahs-ark-vs-david-smalley-aron-ra-d

Friendly Atheist Podcast -- Ep. 136 - Dr. Steven Tomlins, Atheist Bus Campaign Researcher

Dr. Steven Tomlins is a researcher and graduate of the University of Ottawa who has just co-edited a new academic book called The Atheist Bus Campaign: Global Manifestations and Responses. It looks at the various atheist advertising campaigns -- billboards, bus ads, and the like -- all over the world. We spoke about how this idea went viral, which kinds of ads are more successful, and whether the media coverage matters more than the messages themselves.
https://soundcloud.com/friendly-atheist-podcast/ep-136-dr-steven-tomlins-atheist-bus-campaign-researcher

Atheist Experience -- 20.44 with Russell Glasser and Jen Peeples

The Atheist Experience episode 20.44 for November 6, 2016, with Russell Glasser and Jen Peeples. Hacking the Election. Jen and Russell talk about what it would take to actually hack a presidential election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYBPsdZbA8Q

The Thinking Atheist -- The Mystery Letter

In the spring of 2016, Seth Andrews received a strange letter in the mail...a letter which has roots dating back over three decades.  In September of 2016, he told his entertaining story about "The Mystery Letter" to a live audience in Riverside, California.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcast/the-mystery-letter


Classic



Ep#22 - Blasphemy - The Godless Spellchecker Podcast

Michael Sherlock returns, this time bringing Acharya and Michael Nugent to talk about the misery created by blasphemy laws. We talk about the consequences of these laws in the countries enforcing them & the potential consequences for countries not. Yet. They're spearheading a petition to have these oppressive laws abolished
https://www.podcat.com/podcasts/jQ7BcO-the-godless-spellchecker-podcast/episodes/nOZaAi-ep-22-blasphemy





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Email the editor with any questions or feedback.





Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Reason Review 1-4

The Reason Review - Volume 1 Issue 4

2016/NOV/06


Editorial Message


Dear Readers,


Welcome to The Reason Review 1-4.


To those who came to yet another great Out And Out event, thanks for your support and participation. Judging from the laughter during the screening of Sita Sings the Blues, I reckon it was as much fun for our attendees as it was for me. Congratulations to Rohit, who won the official merchandise film still print we raffled off after the discussion.

We look forward to next semester's Out And Out, scheduled around Passover/Holy week in mid-April, during which we will likewise host an evening of community, content, and dialogue for disbelievers of Jewish and Christian background.

Over the past few weeks, we have made much progress in getting in touch with other varsity and city secular societies. I and Society President Sebastian Garza also had a very productive meeting with August Brunsman, 
Executive Director of the Secular Student Alliance, with which SSOMIT is affiliated.


One of the bigger bits of news in the last cycle is the release of The Atheist Delusion by infamous Christian preacher Ray Comfort. I saw Comfort hurry past with a crew at The Reason Rally in DC this summer, promoting the film by carrying a huge banner, often across the stage. I have included Stephen Knight's review of it in the Media section, and have linked to the film as well. Yes, I suggest everyone watch the film too. It's a headache-inducing, rapid-edit, preaching-heavy hodge-podge set to overly dramatic music. The main reason I recommend it is because much of it consists of random people being "interviewed" by an off-camera Comfort as they trip over his horrifically bad theistic apologetics, which shows just how important it is to raise awareness of counter-apologetics among atheists, especially the youth.

Another big piece of news is the death of Evangelical fire-and-brimstone comic strip artist Jack Chick. Chick's famously linked D&D to real-life dark magic, which made his works a frequent target of parody. This kind of paranoia, combined with his own bigotry, flowed through all his tracts, as he threatened everyone from gay people to atheists to Catholics to Muslims to rock music fans with hellfire, and insisted that John 3:16 could make everything right again. It's sad that he died such an ignorant and hateful person, but I'm glad we won't be seeing any more of his work lying around.

One shocking bit of recent news is the smearing of Maajid Nawaz and Ayaan Hirsi as not merely Islamophobes, but "anti-Muslim extremists", and by The Southern Poverty Law Center, no less. This is quite surreal, given that Hirsi Ali has always kept her attacks focused on the religion of Islam, and Nawaz is himself a Muslim. Even the quotes that the SPLC provided in this "Field Guide", to support their claim of bigotry on the part of the two, were either irrelevant, mundane, or contradictory. To list Nawaz and Hirsi Ali together with the likes of David Horowitz and Pamela Geller is shameful beyond comprehension.

Other than these stories, we have a great opinion piece by Thomas Larson on the use of the label "atheist", a review of a "Hindus for Trump" event, a report on the history of "Satanic Panic" in the US paired with a Polite Conversations podcast episode on actual Satanic "worship", a clip of President Obama discussing atheist issues with Bill Maher, and another great Matt Dillahunty debate for our Classic feature.

Hope you enjoy the issue.

Sincerely,


Sohan Dsouza
Editor of The Reason Review


Contact editor: dsouza@mit.edu
Contact SSOMIT: ssomit-officers@mit.edu

Sign up for SSOMIT Announcements (includes The Reason Review): http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/ssomit-announce
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News



Out And Out of Hinduism




The Secular Society of MIT held its second Out And Out event on Nov 1st evening, for atheists of Hindu background and their secular supporters. The event began with a introductory presentation by SSOMIT Social Chair Sohan Dsouza, on Hinduism and its relevance to atheism and secularism. Sita Sings the Blues -- Nina Paley's musical-comedic animate take on the Ramayana -- was screened, followed by a discussion of the film, Hinduism, superstition, casteism, and secularism in India. One attendee won an official print of a still from the film in our Javascript-powered raffle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UwUx_DADC4


Lincoln Atheists billboard coming down

According to Lamar’s statistics, the south-facing junior poster makes an average of 26,218 impressions a week. The text, printed atop an outline of the state of Nebraska, was set to be on display for a month.But then several people threatened to stop doing business at the gas station/store, and the sign's coming down early, according to correspondence between Lamar’s Lincoln general manager and the Lincoln Atheists.
http://journalstar.com/business/local/lincoln-atheists-billboard-coming-down/article_16b21fb9-bfb0-5312-b41e-1ddfd02b802f.html


'I am a big fan of Hindu': Twitter is amazed at Modi-style Trump event in New Jersey

But this wasn't just fringe outfits in India seeking publicity. An actual organisation aiming to speak for Hindus within the Republican party started organising support for Trump, and even depicted him as Vishnu.
http://scroll.in/article/819137/i-am-a-big-fan-of-hindu-twitter-is-amazed-at-modi-style-trump-event-in-new-jersey


Brigham Young Students Who Report Sexual Assault Won’t Face Honor Code Sanctions



The 34-page report, researched and drafted by a four-person advisory council starting in May, came after news accounts that the Mormon-run university in Provo, Utah, had investigated students for possible honor code violations after they reported being sexually assaulted. Some experts in law and gender issues on college campuses called that approach troubling. The cases set off a torrent of online criticism as well as a protest on campus in April.




Catholic Church bans scattering of ashes as 'pantheism'


The new guidance accepts cremation in principle but signals a clampdown on increasingly varied uses for ashes, insisting instead that they should only be kept in a “sacred place”, such as a cemetery.




R.I.P. Jack Chick, comics scaremonger


The reclusive king of the scaremongers, Chick railed against everything from gay rights and Dungeons & Dragons to Freemasonry and the Catholic church—which he believed instigated the Holocaust, the Russian Revolution, and the Civil War—in formulaic and often repetitive mini-comics peppered with apocalyptic predictions and ethnic stereotypes.




Louis Smith lands British Gymnastics ban after video appearing to mock Islam

However the decision to suspend Smith was criticised as “appalling” by the National Secular Society, which said it worried for the consequences for free speech. Its spokesman Ben Jones told the Guardian: “It is appalling that British Gymnastics is imposing Islamic blasphemy laws. No religion or idea should be above mockery, satire or criticism.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/nov/01/louis-smith-banned-british-gymnastics-video-mocking-islam

Sweden opens first atheist cemetery to cater to growing non-religious population

“In fact the reaction has been positive from religious and non-religious people alike across the country.”  He stressed that people of faith were welcome to be buried there as well so long as they accepted that they could not have the marks of their religion on their headstone. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-atheist-cemetery-opens-religion-church-of-sweden-a7371006.html



Iran arrests 11 linked to underground 'modelling and decadence' network, say reports

Iran blocks dozens of websites and heavily polices social media to enforce what they see as conservative Islamic values. The latest arrests follow the apprehension of eight people suspected of working for online modelling agencies deemed to be "un-Islamic" after a police probe in May this year.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iran-arrests-11-linked-underground-modelling-decadence-network-say-reports-1587069


Protesters burn books as Jordan reduces religion’s role in schools

In a chemistry book for tenth-graders, a sentence beginning with "praise be to God" was removed. "The total number of Quranic verses went down from 261 to 44 in Arabic language books from fifth to tenth grade," said Ahmad Hajaya, a spokesman from the teachers’ association. "There are hidden powers that want to normalise the curriculum and globalise it so that the next generation will kneel down [succumb] to other cultures and to the enemy as well."
http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/protesters-burn-books-as-jordan-reduces-religions-role-in-schools#full


Saudi blogger Raif Badawi 'faces new round of lashes'

In 2012, he was arrested in the city of Jeddah and charged with "insulting Islam through electronic channels" and "going beyond the realm of obedience". Later that year, a judge recommended that he also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death penalty, because Badawi had refused to "repent to God". But that was not pursued by prosecutors, and in 2013 Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes by a criminal court on the initial charges.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37703312


Hindu temples attacked in Bangladesh over Facebook post

District police chief Mizanur Rahman said two Islamist groups had been demonstrating to demand the arrest and execution of the fisherman when a group of between 100 and 150 men broke away and attacked the temples. [...] "We have also arrested a 30-year-old Hindu man for the Facebook post. He'll be charged with breaching internet laws," Nasirnagar police chief Abdul Kader said, adding the post had already been taken down.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2016/Oct-31/378944-hindu-temples-attacked-in-bangladesh-over-facebook-post.ashx

13 people caned for indecency in Aceh

The Antara news agency reported that the convicts were guilty of inappropriate acts, including khalwat (affectionate contact by an unmarried couple) and ikhtilat (intimacy or mixing) in violation of Islamic bylaws. The 13 people received nine to 25 strikes each, depending on the severity of their misdeeds. The caning of a 14th convict was delayed due to her pregnancy and is set to be carried out after she has given birth.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/17/13-people-caned-for-indecency-in-aceh.html


Indonesia’s top court weighs ban on sex outside marriage

In an early court hearing, one conservative judge, Patrialis Akbar, appeared to affirm arguments made by conservative plaintiffs, saying, “Our freedom is limited by moral values as well as religious values. . . . We’re not a secular country — this country acknowledges religion.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/sex-is-about-to-get-much-more-complicated-in-indonesia/2016/10/25/e12db900-8f15-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html


North Korea's War On Christianity: The Globe's Number One Religious Persecutor

The existence of formal religious organizations for Christian denominations suggests toleration of religion, but notes CSW, evidence unsurprisingly suggests “use of these formal facilities, organizations and institutions for political means.” Indeed, the report cites the conclusion of others “that North Korea uses religious organizations as a survival strategy to seek goods and support from, and improve their image with, other religious organizations worldwide—especially those from South Korea.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2016/10/31/north-koreas-war-on-christianity-the-globes-number-one-religious-persecutor/

Reports


The history of Satanic Panic in the US — and why it's not over yet


At its core, satanic ritual abuse claims relied on overzealous law enforcement, unsubstantiated statements from children, and above all, coercive and suggestive interrogation by therapists and prosecutors. Some of the defendants are still serving life sentences for crimes they probably didn’t commit—and most likely didn’t even happen in the first place.


Zineb el Rhazoui, Charlie Hebdo survivor, discusses why the world needs to ‘Destroy Islamic Fascism’

“If the French state protects me it is not little individual me: What is being protected is my freedom to be irreverent, and freedom of expression, so I should exercise this even more because I enjoy this protection.”
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/10/18/zineb-el-rhazoui-charlie-hebdo-survivor-discusses-why-the-world-needs-to-destroy-islamic-fascism/

Opinion



Zachary Bos -- Wanted: a simple explanation of abiogenesis

The MA State Director for American Atheists counters creationist misconceptions about abiogenesis


http://atheologically.blogspot.com/2016/11/wanted-simple-explanation-of-abiogenesis.html


Thor Benson -- One nation, under no god: Atheists, more than any religion, have been excluded from the election

Surely we are prepared for some atheists in Congress, though. With zero atheists or agnostics in Congress, millions of Americans have no one in the federal government speaking to their lack of piety and desire to protect it. Elected officials wage political warfare making sure religious freedom is protected, yet too few care to protect freedom from religion.
http://www.salon.com/2016/10/30/one-nation-under-no-god-atheists-more-than-any-religion-have-been-excluded-from-the-election/


Hemant Mehta -- Southern Poverty Law Center: Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Maajid Nawaz Are “Anti-Muslim Extremists”

I spend a lot of time on this site criticizing Christianity (and other religions). But I would never want to take away Christians’ civil rights. I just want to persuade them to leave the faith, while helping people understand that the Bible is hardly a “good book.” Does that make me an extremist, too? The SPLC is making the mistake of equating fair criticism of Islam with unfair bigotry against Muslims.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/10/27/southern-poverty-law-center-ayaan-hirsi-ali-and-maajid-nawaz-are-anti-muslim-extremists/



Hemant Mehta -- Atheists Aren’t Trashing a New Movie About a Columbine Victim Supposedly Killed for Her Faith

Needless to say, there’s no evidence that Klebold and Harris killed students because they themselves were atheists or because their victims were all religious. They were social outcasts who killed indiscriminately. They wanted to see mass casualties. There has been plenty written about their motives — Dave Cullen‘s book Columbine is superb — and no credible journalist has ever said religion was a motivating factor one way or the other even if it came up during the course of the day.

Thomas Larson -- Who Are You Calling an Atheist?

“It shouldn’t be about the rise of the Nones; it’s about the rise of the atheists. We are the ones who are rising, the ones who are soaring. None is a euphemism. Look at how we’re fighting [over this term] amongst each other. It should be about atheists and theists—not about meaningless words like None or spiritual or agnostic. Those words just cloud everything.”
http://churchandstate.org.uk/2016/10/who-are-you-calling-an-atheist/


Rayhana Sultan -- A rebuttal to critics of Islam’s Non-Believers

You did not have to wait for the documentary to be released to witness how fragile a community is whose foundation is built on beliefs so weak that you need fear tactics embodied as domestic abuse, isolation, insult, intimidation, honour killing, and apostasy laws to keep its people from unfettered scepticism.
https://medium.com/@rayhana/a-rebuttal-to-critics-of-islams-non-believers-ca3d67b4e50d

​Josiah M. Hesse -- Why Are So Many Horror Films Christian Propaganda?

"Many filmmakers actually believe in the message of their films. They see their jobs as being missionaries for Christianity, and film is their missionary tool. Fear is a missionary tool. The message is that evil is real enough to be feared, and that you should view Christianity or religion as the best answer."
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/why-are-so-many-horror-films-christian-propaganda


Sambuddha Mitra Mustafi -- Uniform Civil Code: Why Do India's Liberals Oppose A Liberal Idea?

Pursuing a civic nationalism and a common civil code would bestow sacredness on Indian democracy, in a way worship and holy texts give sacred legitimacy to religions. And forming a new civic religion, with a common civil code, was the best way to defang the religious right in the long term.
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/10/20/uniform-civil-code-why-do-indias-liberals-oppose-a-liberal-ide/


Sambuddha Mitra Mustafi -- Triple Talaq Must Go, But So Should Beef Ban And Criminalisation Of LGBTQ People

With the scars of Partition still around, Nehru did not have the stomach to confront the Muslim clergy to adopt the Uniform Civil Code or to reform from within. Affronted by this, the Sangh Parivar now became born-again fans of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), an idea they earlier found blasphemous.
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/10/21/triple-talaq-must-go-so-should-beef-ban-and-criminalisation-of/

Media



SSOMIT Out And Out Of Hinduism -- event for atheists from Hindu backgrounds and their secular supporters

An audio recording of the event's pre-film intro presentation and post-film discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UwUx_DADC4


Real Time with Bill Maher -- President Obama on Atheism | Real Time with Bill Maher (Web Exclusive)

Bill asks President Barack Obama about a growing and underrepresented part of the electorate: nonbelievers. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCb3CaLpfmk


Godless Spellchecker -- Review Of Ray Comfort's 'The Atheist Delusion'

Stephen Night of #GSPodcast reviews Ray Comfort's expectedly melodramatic, preachy, and edit-heavy attempt at apologetics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HFzESnuTMs
The film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWiZ3iXWwM


Atheist Debates - Skepticism and the historical Jesus

I moderated a debate between Dr. Bart Ehrman and Dr. Bob Price on whether Jesus existed. This is a talk I gave the day following the debate on my thoughts on that specific debate and the subject, in general.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gPlZviMHvc


Atheist Experience 20.43 with Russell Glasser and Tracie Harris

The Atheist Experience episode 20.43 for October 30, 2016, with Russell Glasser and Tracie Harris. Predicting the Future. Tracie dissects two stories about predicting the future and finds confirmation bias.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOrGujdZkN8


Atheist Experience 20.42 with Russell Glasser and Don Baker

The Atheist Experience episode 20.42 for October 23, 2016, with Russell Glasser and Don Baker. The Failure of Time. Russell encourages viewers to vote and Don talks about how the Bible can't be reconciled with temporal reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p58mcPSjzns


Dogma Debate #276 - Christian Couple vs. David Smalley

Two Christian 4th Listeners attended David's debate with Matt Slick, and now they have their chance to talk with David directly.
http://www.spreaker.com/user/smalleyandhyso/276-christian-couple-vs-david-smalley


Atheistically Speaking #287: Atheist Ethics And Implicit Biases, With Alonzo Fyfe

Joining me today is Alonzo Fyfe, who publishes the blog “Atheist Ethicist.” We talk about some really interesting topics including implicit biases and how they’re affecting this election. Alonzo has a theory that, though they might not be aware of it, most people who are anti-Hillary are actually victims of their own implicit biases.
http://atheisticallyspeaking.com/as287-atheist-ethics-implicit-biases-alonzo-fyfe/


Polite Conversations Episode 16 - Halloween Special with Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple

For this episode, the co founder of The Satanic Temple returns to the show for a discussion about offensive halloween costumes, cultural appropriation, whether pumpkins have anything to do with white privilege...Satanic cultural identity, conspiracy theory culture in america vs. muslim world (even though, sadly, anti semitic conspiracy theories are common place among muslims i haven't come across an 'infowars' type conspiracy *culture*....)
https://soundcloud.com/politeconversations/episode-16-halloween-special-with-lucien-greaves-of-the-satanic-temple


ScathingAtheist 194: SPLC You Later Edition

In this week’s episode, Mo delivers us the Quranic equivalent of digging in your skin for microchips, we learn that those guys with sheets at the Christian haunted house weren't ghosts, and Samuel Jackson will get added to the SPLC hate list for using the N word so much.
https://audioboom.com/posts/5239107-scathingatheist-194-splc-you-later-edition


Point of Inquiry -- Halloween Special: Joe Nickell on the Paranormal’s Origin Story

Joe Nickell is perhaps the world's foremost investigator of the paranormal, as well as a magician and author, and he joins us for this special Halloween episode to discuss his recent feature article in Skeptical Inquirer, "Creators of The Paranormal."
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/halloween_special_joe_nickell_on_the_paranormals_origin_story/


Friendly Atheist Podcast Ep. 132 - Luke Fevin, Canadian Atheist Activist

Luke Fevin has fought against mandatory prayers in Alberta (Canada) secular schools. He sits on the Board of the Society of Edmonton Atheists and founded the advocacy group Albertan's for Equality Education. I spoke with Luke about some of the major church/state issues taking place in Canada, including within the public schools, local governments, and Catholic hospitals.
https://soundcloud.com/friendly-atheist-podcast/ep-132-luke-fevin-canadian-atheist-activist


Friendly Atheist Podcast Ep. 134 - Brendon Marotta, Director of American Circumcision

Brendon Marotta is an award-winning filmmaker based out of Austin, Texas. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Film School, to work as a professional film editor. His first feature-length documentary as director is called American Circumcision. (You'll never guess what it's about.) We spoke about why male circumcision is problematic, the dubious health benefits of getting circumcized, and whether there's any chance of passing laws to prevent the procedure (at least without consent of the patient).
https://soundcloud.com/friendly-atheist-podcast/ep-134-brendon-marotta-director-of-american-circumcision


The Thinking Atheist: The Kafir Project

Author Lee Burvine speaks with host Seth Andrews about his sci-fi novel with religious (some would say sacreligious) themes, and Seth plays the first five chapters of the audiobook - read by Seth Andrews in their entirety - on this broadcast.
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcast/the-kafir-project


Godless Spellchecker -- Taking The Myth – 30 Oct 2016 Edition

This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) and Iram Ramzan (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss the big topics. We talk about the Muslim Council Of Britain, Shakeel Begg’s ‘libel’ case, the SPLC and Maajid Nawaz, the ‘gay cake’ fiasco, Immigration, Black Cats, the American elections and much, much more!
http://www.gspellchecker.com/2016/10/taking-the-myth-30-oct-2016-edition/


Mythicist Milwaukee -- Atheism 101 Podcast Hosts Matt and Tim

Matt and Tim of the Atheism 101 podcast join us to discuss how and why they created the podcast. Matt and Tim share how much work goes into the research every week. They pride themselves on having accurate information. As a result of being close friends, they are very competitive and constantly challenge each other on various topics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzSFHXSqmfo


Classic

Dogma Debate #117 -- Matt Dillahunty vs Eric Lounsbery

Special Debate show: Matt Dillahunty and Eric Lounsbery debate with David Smalley as moderator - Is there sufficient evidence to believe in the God of the Bible?
http://www.spreaker.com/user/smalleyandhyso/117-matt-dillahunty-vs-eric-lounsbery



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